It’s the only time of the week that’s a little narrow-minded. Every Monday morning, Yemanja’s 30 employees meet to discuss the progress of projects and news from their office design company. The rest of the week, each person manages their time as they see fit in pairs.
“But there is everything that revolves around this. The liberated company also means adhering to the company project, that is, to the collective moments, if we agree on the path, if we are aligned on the projects. We have great discussions all together.” In case of uncertainty, there is no boss to decide. Couples work together to make a decision. They have the right to make mistakes, which translates into learning for the entire team.
“We can say ‘I’m leaving for 3 days’ as well as ‘I’m leaving for 3 weeks'”
The company, organized as a “liberated company,” is also committed to flexible office work and salary transparency. Employees even have the option to take all the vacation they want, whenever they want… but with common sense. “You can’t leave your partner in trouble at a difficult moment in your project… But apart from that, you can say ‘I’m leaving for 3 days’, like ‘I’m leaving for 3 weeks’, as long as everything is well organized and easy for everyone, there are no issues,” says Valentín Giscard-d’Estaing.
And the rules of freedom that reign in the offices are the same on the ground floor of the workshop. Antony Nudes, who makes the furniture, even has a credit card in the company’s name to act independently. “We are truly independent in the sense that I buy my materials, I organize my interventions with the client, on the construction site…” he says.
When the founders leave for 3 months… and everything is going well
“The liberated company” is a concept theorized in the early 2010s by several authors and which today is found in a hundred companies in France. More than an objective, it is a guideline for the founders of Yemanjá. Last year, this horizontal organization took on even more meaning when Marie Vaillant and Quentin Audrain decided to take a 3-month leave of absence from their company.
“We will have a support, representation role… but many people in Yemanjá know how to run the company without us being there… Everything is organized so that the company always works without needing everyone,” he assures.
But the released model sometimes poses some difficulties. Among the disadvantages, hiring is quite complicated because this system is based above all on trust. Then you have to find the right person. “We are going to look for professional skills, but also interpersonal skills, personalities who feel comfortable being free, etc.,” Quentin Audrain specifies. At the end of the year, despite this surprising organization, Yemanjá is doing well financially. And the founders assure that if this organization were not economically viable, the concept of a “liberated company” would not have been implemented.
Source: BFM TV
